[DEQ] White Lake and Deer Lake Areas of Concern delisted

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White Lake and Deer Lake Areas of Concern delisted

The federal governments of the U.S. and Canada recently agreed to delist both the White Lake and Deer Lake Areas of Concern, following three decades of work at both sites to stop pollution sources, clean up existing contaminants and restore degraded features of the lakes’ ecosystem.

Areas of Concern are lakes, rivers and streams on an international list of priority water bodies requiring cleanup for the protection of environmental and human health.

Muskegon County’s White Lake and Marquette County’s Deer Lake are just the third and fourth of 31 Great Lakes Areas of Concern on the U.S. side of the border to be completely restored and removed from the list.

The delistings would not be possible at this time without strong local support and the recent infusion of federal funds provided by the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI), which began in 2010. White Lake received more than $2 million for habitat restoration and more than $3 million for contaminated sediment removal since 2010. Deer Lake received $8 million to divert Partridge Creek. These GLRI funds provided the fuel for the final on-the-ground projects needed to make the delisting at both lakes a reality.

In 1985 when the program was established, Great Lakes Areas of Concern were among the most polluted waterways impacting the Great Lakes. Following the delisting of Deer Lake and White Lake, Michigan has 12 AOCs remaining in various stages of restoration.

“White Lake and Deer Lake used to be known as toxic hotspots,” said Jon Allan, Director of the DEQ’s Office of the Great Lakes. “That label is no longer even remotely accurate. Previous generations’ industrial legacy was restored to naturally functioning systems, and contaminants in the lake have been removed. As a result, the surrounding communities are shining examples of the best places in Michigan to live, work and play.”

Although both lakes will require continued monitoring for nutrient loading and sedimentation, they are now of comparable quality to Michigan’s other 11,000 inland lakes, no longer deserving of special status resulting from outdated industrial waste disposal practices. Today, both lakes are sport-fishing destinations, and are great for kayaking, swimming, birding and other outdoor activities.

Meet the staff
John Riley is an Areas of Concern Coordinator in the DEQ’s Office of the Great Lakes. He coordinates federal, state and local resources to clean up some of the most polluted sites potentially impacting Great Lakes water quality, including White Lake. In 10 years with the department, he spent two with the Water Resource Division’s Enforcement Unit and two with the Aquatic Nuisance Control program.

Stephanie Swart is the Lake Superior Lake Coordinator and the Deer Lake Area of Concern Coordinator for the Office of the Great Lakes. She began her career with the State of Michigan in the DEQ’s Water Resources Division in 2006. In her current position, she works with a binational group of partners to protect Lake Superior under the auspices of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement between the U.S. and Canada. She also worked with state, federal and local partners to achieve the goals for the Deer Lake Area of Concern, which ultimately led to delisting of the site.